UIC Innovation and Railway Research Awards recognizes TTCI's freight research

The inaugural International Union of Railways (UIC) Innovation and Railway Research Awards were held in Paris, France, on Dec. 11, where Transportation Technology Center, Inc., (TTCI) was recognized for its freight research at its Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST).

"The world's scientific community has an enormous ability for finding breakthrough solutions to significantly raise the level of dependability, quality, safety and customer-friendliness of railways," said Boris Lapidus, International Railway Research Board chairman at UIC. "Our aim is to establish conditions to discover the best solutions and growth of prestige of rail research organizations and individual researchers."

Developed at TTCI in Pueblo, Colo., the FAST Program was originally created to fully assess the safety, technical and economic issues related to increased heavy-axle-loads. During the course of the past 24 years, the FAST Program has continued to serve as a unique testing facility used to evaluate countless rail research projects from around the world. According to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), these projects and the research work done by TTCI, have enhanced the safety and efficiency of the railroad industry worldwide.

"The work done at TTCI has helped to make railroads one of the world's most innovative, safe and efficient forms of freight transportation," said AAR President and CEO Edward Hamberger. "UIC's recognition of those efforts is an honor that is well-deserved and I congratulate all those who, over the years, have been involved in the transformational work that has been done through the FAST Program."